The present invention relates to an apparatus for receiving rod-shaped objects transported by an air flow, and delivering the received objects with a predetermined timing.
Receiving/delivering apparatuses for rod-shaped objects, are used, for example, in systems for manufacturing filter cigarettes. These manufacturing systems generally comprise a filter manufacturing unit for making filter rods, a cigarette manufacturing unit for producing plain cigarettes, and a plug assembler for making filter cigarettes from the filter rods and plain cigarettes fed from the manufacturing units. Usually, the filter manufacturing unit and the plug assembler are arranged separately, so that a transportation system is interposed between them, whereby the filter rods manufactured by the former are transported to the latter. The transport system comprises a feeder unit, a transport pipe, and a receiving/delivering unit. The feeder unit serves to deliver the filter rods successively from a hopper which is provided in the filter manufacturing unit. The transport pipe, one end of which is connected to the feeder unit, receives the rods from the feeder unit, and transports them in a current of compressed air therein. The receiving/delivering unit, which is connected to the other end of the transport pipe, receives the filter rods transported through the pipe by the air current therein, and then delivers them toward another hopper, in the plug assembler. In the hopper of the plug assembler, the rods must be stored regularly. In feeding the filter rods into the hopper of the plug assembler, therefore, the individual rods must be transported transversely or at right angles to their longitudinal axis, lest the rods be oriented irregularly. Thus, it is necessary to change the transportation direction of the filter rods, fed longitudinally through the transport pipe, to the transverse direction, for cross-feeding. To this end, a turnabout unit is located between the receiving/delivering unit and the plug assembler, whereby the rods are reoriented for cross-feeding. Accordingly, the receiving/delivering unit must deliver the rods intermittently toward the turnabout unit, so as to be timed to the operation of the turnabout unit.
To cope with this, the receiving/delivering unit is provided with a regulating mechanism for regulating the transfer speed of the filter rods delivered from the transport pipe. Conventionally, the regulating mechanism includes a pair of regulating rollers, which, having their peripheral surfaces opposed to each other, are rotated in opposite directions. A V-shaped groove is formed on the peripheral surface of each regulating roller. Thus, a speed-regulating path for the filter rods is defined between the regulating rollers, by the V-shaped grooves on the respective peripheral surfaces of the rollers. When the filter rods delivered from the transport pipe, pass through the regulating path between the regulating rollers, therefore, the transport speed of the rods can be regulated by a frictional force produced between the rods and the rollers. Thus, the rods, thereafter, are transported at a speed which is determined by the peripheral speed of the regulating rollers.
The receiving/delivering unit is further provided with a pair of acceleration rollers which are arranged between the regulating mechanism and the turnabout unit. Resembling the regulating rollers, the acceleration rollers differ from them only in that their peripheral speed is higher than that of the regulating rollers. With use of such acceleration rollers, the filter rods, fed from the regulating rollers, can be delivered more quickly to the turnabout unit. In consequence, the turnabout unit can receive the rods intermittently, in accordance with its operation timing.
According to the prior art receiving/delivering apparatus described above, however, the transfer speed of the filter rods, delivered from the transport pipe, sometimes cannot be regulated securely, due to slippage between the peripheral surfaces of the regulating rollers and the outer surface of each rod. It is therefore difficult to feed the rods securely from the acceleration rollers to the turnabout unit, with a predetermined timing. Thus, the turnabout unit may become jammed by the rods.